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Britain backs U.S. drug proposal
Posted: Wednesday October 27, 1999 11:21 AM
LONDON (AP) -- The United States has gained an important ally in its push for an independent international agency to lead the fight against performance-enhancing drugs. Britain has agreed to back the U.S. proposal for a drug agency that is not controlled by the International Olympic Committee. Barry McCaffrey, head of the White House drug policy office, is touring Europe to build support for the plan. McCaffrey opposes the IOC's plans for such an agency, contending it would lack independence and accountability. But the IOC said Tuesday it plans to set up its agency next month and have it operating by the end of the year. In a joint statement after a two-day meeting in London with
British antidrugs coordinator Keith Hellawell, Britain endorsed
McCaffrey's five principles:
McCaffrey will present his plan in Belgium on Wednesday to the European Commission. On Thursday, he will meet in Portugal with drug policy officials of the 15 European Union countries. In an interview, McCaffrey said he hopes to enlist European opposition to the IOC plan. "If we don't act, we're going to have a Swiss corporation, the International Olympic Committee, assert that they can unilaterally decide on a drug-testing agency that won't in fact be independent and probably won't achieve the results and won't have credibility with the world's athletes," he said. McCaffrey said the agency will only be independent if it has "the ability to act without being a wholly owned subsidiary to the IOC." He said he expects support from Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Australia at a 26-nation drug summit in Australia next month "We're not looking for a fight," he said, "but clearly we have a heavy responsibility. ... I can't imagine we're going to continue to ignore a situation that we think is untenable." McCaffrey said he would be happy to meet with IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch. And despite the standoff, he said he expects the sides can work together and reach some sort of consensus. "At the end of the day, I have a feeling that rational thought will win out," McCaffrey said. "I can't imagine there isn't going to be a sensible outcome." IOC spokesman Franklin Servan-Schreiber said Tuesday the IOC was going forward with its agency with or without McCaffrey's approval. He said the agency, set up as a Swiss foundation, will start Nov. 10 with the appointment of a board of directors. Servan-Schreiber said European sports ministers had responded favorably to the IOC project, and the EU's new sports commissioner, Viviane Reding, will meet with Samaranch in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Nov. 2. The spokesman said the IOC could not control the agency because the 24-member board would include only three representatives from the IOC. "There has never been any question of the IOC controlling the agency," Servan-Schreiber said. "And the claim that the IOC should not be involved at all seems to us a little unfair considering we were the ones who stepped up to the plate." The agency will initially be located in Lausanne. Other cities expressing interest in serving as headquarters include Athens, Greece; Lille, France; Lisbon, Portugal; Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; and Vienna, Austria.
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